Contracts

Student Activities processes contract requests on behalf of Bryn Mawr College student organizations. Students are encouraged to make inquiries with artists/agents or artist representatives about the possibility of having the artist perform on campus.

Students may make tentative agreements with artists/agents or artist representatives but cannot create or sign any contract or other agreement form related to the event.

All student organizations wishing to host an event on campus where a perfomer will be paid must submit a contract for that event. The contract process is outlined below. At the very end of the process there are definitions of common terms used throughout the process.This section may be useful if you need to clarify a term.

Important points to remember:

Students are not permitted to sign contracts or any binding agreements

Payment will not be made without a contract

Payment will not be made on the day of the event

A college check will be sent to the artist after the event via U.S. Mail

It may take up to 4 weeks after the contract is signed by both the artist and the College for the artist to receive payment

Students are not permitted to pay an artist in cash or with a personal check

Name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail of artist or agent

Type of event (lecture, concert, dance, etc.)

Sponsoring Organization

Location

Start time

End time

Agreed cost

Deposit amount and due date if required

Any items you will be providing for the guest (such as meals, housing accommodations)

Contract requests should be made at least four weeks in advance of the date of the event. Contract requests received less than four weeks prior to the event may result in a contract not being completed prior to the event taking place.

If you provided an e-mail address of the artist/ agent a pdf of the contract and W-9 form will be e-mailed. The requestor of the contract will be copied on this email.

If you provided a fax number and not an e-mail address, the contract will be faxed.

If you only provided a mailing address then the contract will be mailed. Please note the contract will only be mailed if you did not provide either a fax number or e-mail address.

If there is a question or concern about your contract the requestor of the form will be contacted.

Often contracts are delayed by the artist or agent who neglects to return the contract in a timely manner. It is the responsibility of the artist or agent to return the contract to the College. Artists will not be paid until the required contract and accompanying paperwork is completed and returned.

-OR-

Step 1: Using an agency contract

An agency contract is a contract that is created by the artist or their agent. If an artist tells a student that they have their own contract the student should request the artist/agent mail or fax their contract to Student Activities a minimum of four weeks prior to the event date. Contact information is as follows:

Please be aware that all agency contracts must be accompanied with a Bryn Mawr College Addendum. The agent will be contacted by Student Activities to have them review and sign the addendum and to obtain a W-9 form. The College Addendum and W-9 form must be obtained before the College will sign the contract.

Some agency contracts can be lenghty and may contain information that may not apply to a College venue. Do not let this intimidate you. All agency contracts will be edited to reflect our capabilities.

Step 2: Obtain signatures

After all paperwork (the Bryn Mawr or agency contract, W-9 forms and addendums if applicable) are collected and reviewed they are sent for College signatures.

At Bryn Mawr, all contracts must be reviewed by our College Counsel. After your contract is submitted by Student Activities it will be sent to the College Counsel for review.

The College Counsel will obtain the signature of the Bryn Mawr Chief Administrative Officer. The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is the only person on campus who is authorized to sign contracts.

After the CAO signs the contract it will be returned to Student Activities. At this point the Bryn Mawr contract is considered fully executed or completed.

If an agency contract is used they often requirethe College to sign the contract before they will sign it. In this case the contract will be sent to the agency for signature. After the agency returns the contract signed is it considered fully executed.

The completed contract is photocopied. One copy is given to the student who submitted the contract request or agency contract and one additional copy is kept in Student Activities. The original contract is given to the SGA Treasurer. A copy may be given to an administrative or academic department if you indicated you were receiving funds from that department.

At this point Student Activities is out of the contract process. The remaining step is the sole responsibility of students. Student Activities will not have information about the payment status of your contract. You should direct all payment questions to SFC or the department which you received funds from.

Step 3: Paying the artist

When the contract is given back to the student a note is attached informing them that the contract was given to the SGA treasurer for payment. Any questions regarding the status of payment should be directed to SFC.

If a student organization has cosponsored the event with a College department and the department is paying for the event the student organization should contact that department for payment.

Please note that it may take up to four weeks for a check request to be processed and a check issued. Checks must be sent in the mail to the artist. Please make sure they are aware of this in advance of the event.

Students are not permitted to pay an artist in cash or with a personal check

Below are definitions of terms that are commonly used throughout the contract process. If your organization regularly brings events to campus you should become familiar with these terms.

Addendum: A document that is in addition to the contract. The Bryn Mawr College Addendum addresses liability issues.

Agent or Artist Representative- A person who has the power to make commitments on behalf of an artist.

Agreed Cost- The cost that your organization and the artist/agent or artist representative have agreed your organization will pay to bring the artist to campus. This number should not include items such as transportation, dinner or hotel costs unless you are reimbursing the artist for these costs.

Artist- A person your organization wish to bring to campus. The artist may be a number of things: speaker, DJ, musician, poet, etc. May be used interchangeably with performer.

Block Price: The discounted amount your organization may pay for an artist if they have several performances in the area within the span of a few days.

Budget: The amount of money your organization can spend on this event. This amount should include every cost of your event including dinner, hotel, transportation, and the agreed cost of the artist.

Contract: A binding agreement between two parties to provide a service at a specific price. The contract may also include items such as dinner, hotel and transportation, which are not part of the monetary amount you are paying the artist. Please remember that a contract is a legal document and is legally enforceable.

Contract Rider: A document that is in addition to the contract. Usually contains requests of the artist for hospitality or equipment needs. Some contract riders may seem a little large and contain items that you are not sure you can provide. Don't let this intimidate you- most contract riders are heavily edited prior to being sent for review and signatures.

Fully Executed Contract: A contract that has been signed by both the artist/agent or artist representative and the Bryn Mawr College Treasurer.

Location: Place where your organization is holding the event. Please be sure to reserve the space with the Office of Conferences and Events prior to contracting an artist to perform at Bryn Mawr.

Sponsoring Organization: The organization that this holding the event. In most cases this organization is also paying for the artist.

W-9 Form: A W-9 form is a Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. This form is required of all paid performers on campus regardless of the amount they are to be paid. This form will accompany any contract or addendum to any contract; i.e. it is an automatic part of the contract request. You do not need to send this form to the artist yourself or ask for their social security number.
Sometimes paid performers are not citizens of the United States and do not have a social security number. If this occurs there is seperate additional paperwork which will need to be completed by the performer. Its not necessarily a hinderance but it may delay the contract and subsequent payment. See Policies and Procedures for Compensation Payment Made to
Nonresident Alien Independent Contractors And Other Visitors for additional information.